Microsoft's Project Natal Prepares for Battle of the Motion-Capture Consoles

Its name sounds like the product of a top-secret meeting of Anarchist OB/GYNs, and, appropriately enough, Microsoft’s Project Natal now has a due date.

Project Natal, the motion-capture gaming peripheral that works sans controller from the company that sparked a generation of n00b-pwning with the Xbox, will drop Oct. 26, according to sources from an Edge Online report. The Project Natal camera, which can capture motion and recognize voices and facial expressions, has been the subject of much speculation over its potential impact on the gaming world and its main motion-capture competitor, the Nintendo Wii.

The Edge report says the camera will sell by itself for $149. A bundle with the full Xbox 360 console and peripheral will cost $299. This news comes after two key players in Microsoft’s gaming division—Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach and Chief Technology Officer J Allard, who were both key players in the development of the Xbox consoles—left Microsoft, according to a PC World report.

More details about the system, including an expected new official name for the camera system, will be released at a special Project Natal event at the E3 gaming convention June 15-17.